Coating and drying machine.



gvvuanfow 6H0: we 1 4 I Patented July 23, 191%.

3 SHEETS-SHEET M. SMOLOWICH & 1. STONE. COATING AND DRYNG MACHINE. APPHCATION FILED JULY ti, 1917.

IVI. SMOLOWECH 8L1. STONE COATING AND DRYING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JQULY H. 1911.

Patentefi July 23, 191%.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

gmuenloz M. SMOLOWICH & J. STONE COATING AND DRYING MACHINE.

I APPLICATION FILED .I'ULY H1191?- L1 I I 9 {3 I@% PaI-entedl July 23, 1918 3 S HEETSSHEET 3.

lowing 1s a specification.

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MORRIS SMOLOWILCH AND WOSPH SOME; OF QHJLCAGW, ILLINOIS.

coa'rrn'o awn narrate nacnrrtn.

imaioa specification of Letters Patent.

Patented dail 23 pp 1 Application filed July 11,1917. Serial Ndl'flmtt.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, MoRRIs SMoLowron and JOSEPH S'roNn, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in k the county of (look and State of Illinois, have invent-- ed new and useful Improvements in Coating and DryingMachines, of which the fol- This invention relates broadly to an improvement in the art of printing, and particularly to a machine for printing on paper in raised letters or characters having a glossy finish resembling printing from an engraved plate and known as steelogr'af or embossograph printing.

The usual practice of carrying out this process of printingis by hand operation and consists, in general terms, ofprinting on the paper the characters to be raised by means of printers ink or size on an ordinary printing press and then dusting overthe printing while still moist, a powdered chemicalpreparation, a small quantity of which adheres to the ink, the remainder being shaken off. The sheets are now exposed singly to a sufficiently high temperature to melt the powder without affecting the paper. The melted substance by this treatm'ent isspread over the printed character in a smooth even film and on cooling, will appear as glossy raised characters having all the appearance of being printed from an engraved plate.

This process with the exception of the printing has heretofore been carried out,

almost exclusively, by hand operation and as a result the work has been expensive and To overcome these objections the present invention has been devised and comprises a machine of simple construction and few parts which gather the sheets as they come from the printing press while the printing is still moist and convey them, one at a time, and in rapid succession, through a receptacle containing the powdered chemical and from thence to a continuously traveling conveyer, passing before a knocker that shakes the superfluous material from the sheets, and depositing the sheets on the conveyer to be carried thereby direct to a heating device, or if preferred to a second conveyer, traveling through a heating device which melts the chemical.

' From the heating device the sheets are passed to other conveyers on which they travel to and fro until the characters have construction,

cooled and hardened finally depositing the sheets in a suitable receptacle conveniently disposed to permitwithdrawal therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to prov1de ,a machine of this character with automatlcally operated devices that feed the sheets one at a time to self-opening grippers which convey the sheets to the powdered chemical and when above the endless conveyer, means are engaged by said grippers to open them and permit the sheets to drop on the conveyer,

With the above as the principal objects in v1ew,' the invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, pointed out in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved machine for carrying out the process for relief printing;

Fig. 2 is a vertical, longitudinal sectional view through the center of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the machine on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4: is an enlarged detail cross-sectional view through one of the paper grippers showing the means for opening the same and inserting the sheets of paper thereinto.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of a Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a gripper showing the means for opening the same to release a sheet, and

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the same'parts.

In the drawings, 10 denotes a rigid frame comprising two parallel side bars 11 connected together at suitable points by cross rods 12, and mounted on legs 13 bolted to a base or table 14 to raise the machine to a suitable height for convenient operation. At one end of the machine are two vertical beams 15, each rigidly secured at one end to a beam 11 and rising upwardly to such height as may be desired. Similar upright beams 16 are secured to the side beams 11 at a suitable distance from the beams 15. The beams 15 and 16 on each side are connected together at their upper ends by horizontal beams 17. Further stability is secured by connecting each pair of beams 15 and 16 by cross rods 12.

At the opposite end of the machine a short distance above the beams 11 is a horizontal table 18 upon which the printed sheets are placed, one at a time, as they come from the tact therewith on each side.

press and while the ink or size thereon is still moist. This table rojects at one end be ond the end of the rame 10 and at its other end a short distance over the frame, the latter end being supported between rollers 19 above and. below the table and in con- These rollers are mounted to turn on journals fixed in upright arms 20 rising from the frame beams 11. Movement longitudinally of the frame "IO-is imparted to the table 18 by two levers 21, pivoted intermediate their ends to theends of the frame bars 11, as at 22, and further pivoted at their upper ends to the sides of the table 18 by PIIIS 23 projectlng from the edges thereof. The lower ends of the levers 21 are connected by a cross-bar 24 to cause the levers to swing in unison. By

this means it is apparent that movement of the levers 21 will cause the table 18 to travel in substantial horizontal direction between the rollers 19, and such movement being necessary for the proper operation of the machine, the means for will be described later.

Extending horizontally across the machine between the uprights 15 and just above the beams 11 is a shaft 25, mounted to turn in the beams15 and carrying on one end, exterior of said beam, a worm wheel 26 driven by a worm 27 in engagement therewith, keyed on a longitudinal shaft 28 producing the same driven by an electric motor,- or any other source of power, vnotshown. The shaft 25 has also mounted thereon within the uprights 15 two sprocket wheels 29, each sprocket wheel lying close to an upright and each drivin a sprocket chain 30 passing around and in engagementtherewith. Each sprocket chain 30 passes lnwardly, to and below a larger sprocket wheel 31, the twolatter sprocket wheels being secured on a cross-shaft 32 journaled in the beams 11 and running close to the same? the bottom of the two sprocket wheels being some distance below the frame 10.

From the sprocket wheels 31 the sprocket chains 30 pass upwardly at a slight inclination to a point near the. arms 20 where each chain passes around a small idler sprocket 33 pivotally mounted on the inner side of the adjacent beam 11. From the sprocket 33 each chain passes in a vertical direction to and around a similar idler sprocket 34 turning on a journal secured in the upper end of a short vertical standard 35 rlsing from the side beam 11. From the sprockets 34 the chains 30 pass downwardly at an angle of about forty-five degrees to and under idler sprockets 35 turning on pivotscarried by lugs 36 extending upward from the side beams 11.

Between the idler sprockets 35 and the uprights 16 and a short distance from said uprights are idler sprockets 37 mounted at 39 on the inner side of the beams 11 and forming guides for the sprocket chains 30 which, passin under sprockets 35 and 37, extend upwar 1y at an angle to engage small sprockets 38 mounted on the uprights 16. Continuing, the sprocket chains pass upwardly within the uprights 16 to and around idler sprockets40 pivoted to the top of said uprights and thence in a horizontal direct1on to similar sprockets 41 at the top of the uprights 15, downwardly on the outer sldes of said uprights about idler sprockets 42 carried onbrackets 43 projecting from the uprights to the first named sprocket 29.

A receptacle 44 for the powdered chemical to produce the raised lettering is mounted on the frame 10 at the longitudinal center thereof and comprises a fiat bottom plate 45 that extends transversely across the frame against the under sides of the beam 11 and from the outer side of the bracket 36 inwardly to the large sprocket wheel 31 where said bottom plate is turned upwardly as at 46 to retain the powder within the receptacle. Extending upwardly from the bottom and lying against the outer faces of the beams 11, and reaching above them are vertical plates 47 which form the sides of the receptacle 44.

At the top of the frame 10 just below each horizontal connecting beam 17 is a lon roller 48, extending longitudinally of the machine between the uprights 15 and 16 connected by said beam 17 and journaled in bearings 49 bolted to said uprights. These rollers are horizontally disposed and of equal height and around them is placed an endless belt or conveyer 50, the u per stretch of which lies in a horizontal p ane and receives the sheet of paper after the printing thereon has been covered by the powdered chemical. Rotation is imparted to the rollers 48 and movement to the conveyer 50 by a belt 51 passing over a grooved pulley 52 on the shaft 53 of one of the rollers 48 near an upright 15 and thence downwardly around a pulley 54 on the shaft 25. These pulleys are of such proportion and size as to drive the conveyer at a speed proportional to the movement of the sprocket chains 30 to receive the sheets in relatively close order but not imposed one upon aniother.

For the purpose of carrying the printed sheets from the table 18 through the receptacle 44 and to the conveyer 50, there are provided a number of grippers 55 mounted upon the sprocket chains 30 and equally spaced in the length thereof. The number of grippers may vary, six being shown on the present machine. Each gripper comprises a base plate 56 having lugs 57 projecting from one face thereof at each end for mounting the. ripper on the chain 30.

raraiea curved clamping plate 58 hinged by means of a cross rod 59 to blocks 60 fixed on the ends of the plate 56. One edge of the plate 58 curves downwardly and bears normally on the surface of the plate 56, being held against said plate by a coil spring 61 surrounding the hinge rod 59 and bearing at one end against the curved plate 58 and at its other end against the late 56 or one of the bearing blocks 60. Tile plate 58 curves over the hinged rod 59 downwardly and outwardly beyond the edge of the plate 56 away from the gripping edge 62 and carries at its extremity at one end a projecting finger 63 on which is mounted a roller 64 by means of which, in cotiperation with a cam now to be described, the gripping edge is lifted from the plate 56 to permit the insertion therebetween of one edge of a printed sheet.

Bolted to the top of one of the short uprights '35 is a bracket 65 that extends a short distance above said arm and carries on its upper end a horizontally disposed.

concave cam 66 with which the roller64 of each gripper engages as the chains 30 pass around the idler sprockets 34, the cam being so adjusted that when the plate 56 is brought into horizontal position immediately over the spocket 34, as in Figs. 4 and 5, the gripping edge 62 of the curved plate 58 will be raised above plate 56 to its highest position so that theprinted sheet may be readily inserted therebetween. At the same time the cam 66 is opening the gripper, a lug 67 on the opposite end of the plate 56 contacts with a finger 68 projecting inwardly from the upper end of a lever 69 pivoted on the upright 35 on the same side of the machine and rocks said lever which, through a link 70 pivoted to its lower end and to one of the levers 21, the latter levers are also rocked and the table 18 projected toward the gripper so that the edge of the printed sheet on said table and extending over the inner edge thereof is caused to enter between the plate 56 and the gripping edge 62 of the curved plate 58. The roller 64, following the curved surface of the cam 66 is immediately thereafter released and permits the curved plate to return to normalposition through the resiliency of spring 61, the gripping edge 62 of said plate clamping the edge of the printed sheet and holding it, firmily against the plate 56 so that said sheet will be drawn by the gripper from the table 18 as the chains pass from the sprockets 34 downwardly and into the receptacle 44. As soon as the lug 67 on the plate 56, in the movement of the gripper, disengages the finger 58, a spring 71 connected to one of the levers 21 and to a leg 13 ofv the frame 10 draws the levers 21 in the opposite direction and returns the table 18.

. Projecting from the uprights 16 toward the uprights 15 are brackets 72 in which 1s mounted to rotate, a horizontal cross shaft 73 having a sprocket pinion 74 on one end above a large sprocket wheel 75 fixed on the shaft of one of the idler sprockets 38 about which one of the chains 30 passes and which is driven by said chain. Between the sprocket wheels 74 and 75 is a sprocket chain 76 by means of which the shaft 73 is driven by the movement of chain '30, and because of the difference in size of the two sprocket wheels, the shaft rotates at a greater speed than the sprocket 75. Extending across the shaft 73 between the bearing brackets and spaced apart are a number of fingers 77' which project in opposite directions and as they rotate, rapidly-strike the paper sheets carried past them by the grippers and remove all excess powder therefrom. To prevent injury to thepaper the ends of the fingers are covered with rubber caps 78 as shown.

The printed sheets having been subjected to the chemical powder and all excess powders removed therefrom, the sheets are ready to be heated for the purpose of melting the powder. To do so, it is necessary that the grippers disengage the sheets to permit their introduction to a heating de vice and in carrying out this feature of the invention the grippers after passing the striking fingers 77 are carried by the 'chains 30 in a horizontal direction over the conveyer 50 at the top of the frame and when the sheet is substantially centered over the conveyer to disengage the sheet that it may drop thereon and be carried out of the frame 10. The means for opening the grippers to release the sheet comprises a cam plate79 secured to one of the cross beams 17 at the top of the frame and overhanging the inner side thereof a short distance so curved plate 58 of the gripper engages the beveled end 80 of the cam plate 79 said curvedplate is rocked on its shaft 59 and the gripping edge 62 of the plate raised, thus releasing the sheet and permitting it to fall on the conveyer.

The sheets after being placed on the conveyer are ready for the final step; in the process, which is to subject them toca heat of suflicient intensity to soften the chemical but not affect the paper. This is accomplished by mounting a second conveyer 81 at the end of the conveyer 50 so thatthe sheets will be fed from the latter conveyer on to the con veyer 81 which passes below or through a suitable casing 82 within which is placed a heating means of any suitable character which will permit the temperature thereof to be properly adjusted for the purpose required. The sheets passing through the heater are subjected to the increased temperature a short time only but sufliciently long to melt the chemical, being then immediately removed from the influence of the heater and transferred to another conveyer 83, which may be slightly inclined and which deposits the sheets, after reaching its outer end, upon another conveyer 84 at a lower plane and also inclined, but. in reverse direction the lower end of conveyer 84 terminates above a chute 85 extending through an opening 86 in the base table 14 and delivering into a receptacle 87.- The number of conveyers upon which the sheets are successively deposited from the conveyer 81 may vary, as also their length, this being governed by the time required to enable theqoowdered chemical after being melted to thoroughly cool and harden so that the sheets when deposited in the receptacle 87 will not adhere together. The cooling conveyers 83 and 84 are driven at any convenient speed and by any means readily understood and such driving means is not therefore shown or described. The,

heater used for melting the chemical is not claimed in detail herein and. therefore is shown diagrammatically.

In the operation of the machine sheets of paper fresh from the press with the ink thereon still moist are placed one at a time on the feeding table 18 with one edge projecting slightly over the inner edge of the table. A chemical powder such as is used at the present time, or any other substance equally suitable, is placed in the receptacle 44 in a relatively large quantity. The shaft 28 being rotated, the worm gearing 26, 27 will drive the cross shaft 25 carrying the sprocket wheels 29 and these sprocket wheels I will cause the sprocket chains 30 to travel around the main frame 10 carrying the grippers 55 with them as they circulate. The grippers 55 pass upwardly with the chains 30 from idler sprockets 33 to similar sprockets 34 and as they pass around the latter sprockets, the roller 64 on each gripper will bear against the cam 66 and open the gripper for the reception of a printed sheet therein, said sheet being fed into the grippers by the horizontal movement of the feed table 18 through the action of the lug 67 on the opposite end of'the gripper from the roller 64 engaging the lever 69 connected toone of the operating levers of the feed table 18. After the sheet has been inserted between the jaws of the gripper, the continued forward movement of the chains will cause the roller 64 on the gripper to-pass from the influence of the cam 66 so that the gripper can close on the sheet and draw the same from the table,

carrying it in its course downwardly into the receptacle 44 and through the excess of powdered chemical therein. After the sheet is thoroughly covered with the powder, the grippers pass upwardly from the receptacle and travel in a substantially vertical direcuprights 16 and thence in a horizontal direction toward the uprights 15 over the endless conveyer 50. The free end of each sheet that hangs from the gripper will rest upon the conveyer as the sheet passes thereover, and when said end of the sheet is well within the edge of the conveyer, the roller 64 of the grlpper engages the can'i plate 79 on the cross beam 17 and opens the gripper, permitting the sheet to drop therefrom onto the conveyer which immediately carries it in a transverse direction from the machine onto the second conveyer 81 by means of which it is carried through the heating apparatus to melt the powder and from the conveyer 81 it is delivered to the successive conveyers 83 and 84. Traveling along these conveyers, the melted chemical substance cools and hardens, after which it is delivered to the chute 85 and from thence into the receptacle 87.

We claim:

1. A machine for the comprising an endless carrler, a gripper mounted on said carrier adapted to hold the edge of a sheet ofprinted paper and pass said sheet through a quantity of powdered chemical substance to cause the same to flow over the printed surface, means for subjecting the sheet to a shaking operation to remove the superfluous. powdered substance, a conveying means, a, heater in the path of travel of said conveying means, and means for releasing the sheet from the gripper to cause the sheet to fall upon the conveyer and by the conveyer advanced to the heater to melt the substance and thence after cooling to' deliver the same to a receiver.

2. A machine for the purpose described comprising 'an endless carrier, a gripper mounted on said carrier, means for opening said gripper at a pre-determined point in the travel of the carrier, a movable table for feeding sheets of printed paper to the gripper, a container for the powdered chemical substance through which the sheet is drawn by said gripper, a shaker for removing superfluous powder from the sheet, a conveyer, means for opening the gripper to release the sheet upon the conveyer, and a heater to which said sheet is delivered by the conveyer.

3. A machine for the purpose described comprising an endless carrier, a plurality of grippers mounted upon said carrier, means at one point in the line of travel of said carrier for opening said grippers in succession, a movable table for feeding sheets of paper successively to the carriers, means operated by each gripper for movlng the purpose described emma table, a receptacle for containing a powdered chemical substance through which the carriers pass the sheets to be covered by said substance, a shaker for acting on the sheets of paper as they pass to remove superfluous powder therefrom, a conveyer, means above the conveyer for opening the grippers that the sheets of paper may fall upon the con veyer, a heater to which said sheets are transported by the conveyer for melting the chemical substance thereon, and other conveyers on Which the sheets travel after leaving the heater to be cooled and finally de livered at a determined point.

l. A machine for the purpose described comprising an endless carrier, means for causing the same to travel in a determined path, a plurality of grippers mounted on said carrier, means at one point in the path of said carrier for engaging the grippers and causing them to open, a horizontally slidable table for feeding sheets of printed paper into said grippers, means actuated by the. movement of the grippers for moving said table, a receptacle for holding a quantity of powdered chemicalisubstance through which the sheets are carried by the grippers that said substance may cover the sheet and adhere to the printed characters thereon, rotary strikers operated by the movement of the carrier for agitating the sheets and removing superfluous powdered substance therefrom, a horizontal conveyer, means for guiding the carrier over said conveyer, means for opening said grippers above the conveyer to permit sheets to drop thereon, a heater at one end of the conveyer to which said sheets are delivered by the conveyer for melting the chemical substance, and, other conveying'means leading from the heater to which the sheets are delivered and along which they travel for the purpose of cooling and hardening the melted chemical substance on the sheet.

5. ln a machine for the purpose described, the combination with a rigid main frame, an endless carrier comprising a pair of spaced chains or belts, guiding means on the frame around which said belts or chains pass and which direct the path of travel of the carrier, driving means for said carrier, a plurality of grippers each mounted at its ends on one of said carrier belts and spaced apart at equal distances in the length of the carrier, fixed means at one point in the path oftravel of the conveyer adapted to act on the grippers for opening the same, a horizontal table adapted to move longitudinally to feed printed sheets of paper to the grippers, means for moving said feeding table, means operated by the travel of the grippers for actuating said table moving means, a receptacle for holding a quantity of powdered chemical substance through which the paper sheets are carried by the grippers to cause the printed characters on said paper to be covered by said substance, a rotating shaft having striking fingers thereon for engaging the sheets as they pass and removing the superfluous substance therefrom, means actuatedby one of said chain belts for rotating said shaft, a horizontal conveyer over which said grippers are adapted to be carried by the belts or chains, means for opening said grippers when above the conveyer to permit the sheets held thereby to fall upon the conveyer, a heater at one side of the main frame, a second conveyer receiving the sheets from the first-named conveyer and carrying them through said heater to cause the substance adhering to the characters to be melted, and other conveyers leading from the heater along which the sheets travel while said melted substance is cooling and hardening.

6. An automatic machine for producing raised printing on sheets of paper comprising an endless carrier, and guidingmeans I therefor, means for driving said carrier, a plurality of paper grippers mounted on said carrier, a paper feeding table adjacent one end of the path of movement of the carrier and adapted to be moved to and from the grippers as they approach the table to feed to the grippers a sheet of paper With the ink in moist condition, means for containing a powdered chemical substance to be spread over said sheets as they are circulated by the conveyer and which substance adheres to the moist printed characters, means for removing superfluous powdered substance from the sheets, means for releasing in succession the sheets of paper from the grippers, a heating means, and means for receiving the released sheets and carrying them through the heater for melting the chemical substance thereon, and finally along a circuitous course for cooling and hardening the melted substance on the sheets.

lln testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

MORRIS SMOLOWICH. JOSEPH STONE. 

